System and method for low latency network switching
AssigneeMicrochip Technology Incorporated
InventorMorten Terstrup
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A network switch and associated method of operation for establishing a low latency transmission path through the network which bypasses the packet queue and scheduler of the switch fabric. The network switch transmits each of a plurality of data packets to the identified destination egress port over the low latency transmission if the data packet is identified to be transmitted over the low latency transmission path from the ingress port to the destination egress port, and transmits the data packet to the destination egress port through the packet queue and scheduler if the data packet is not identified to be transmitted over the low latency transmission path from the ingress port to the destination egress ports.
Claims23
A method for operating a network switch, the method comprising:
- establishing a low latency transmission path through a network switch, wherein the network switch comprises a plurality of ingress ports, a plurality of egress ports and a switch fabric comprising a packet queue and scheduler through which the plurality of ingress ports communicate with the plurality of egress ports and wherein the low latency transmission path bypasses the packet queue and scheduler of the switch fabric;
- receiving a plurality of data packets at one or more of the plurality of ingress ports;
- collecting a first portion of one or more of the plurality of data packets at a collection module;
- for each data packet of the one or more of the plurality of data packets, analyzing the first portion of the data packet to identify one of the plurality of egress ports as a destination egress port of the data packet and to identify if the data packet is to be transmitted over the low latency transmission path from the ingress port to the destination egress port;
- and
- transmitting the data packet to the identified destination egress port over the low latency transmission if the data packet is identified to be transmitted over the low latency transmission path from the ingress port to the destination egress port, and transmitting the data packet to the destination egress port responsive to the packet queue and scheduler if the data packet is not identified to be transmitted over the low latency transmission path from the ingress port to the destination egress ports.
A network switch comprising:
- a plurality of ingress ports;
- a plurality of egress ports;
- a switch fabric comprising a packet queue and scheduler through which the plurality of ingress ports communicate with the plurality of egress ports;
- and
- a low latency transmission path for bypassing the packet queue and scheduler of the switch fabric,
- wherein the switch fabric is configured to:
- receive a plurality of data packets at one or more of the plurality of ingress ports;
- for each data packet of one or more of the plurality of data packets, analyze a first portion of the data packet to identify one of the plurality of egress ports as a destination egress port of the data packet and to identify if the data packet is to be transmitted over the low latency transmission path from the ingress port to the destination egress port;
- and
- transmit the data packet to the identified destination egress port over the low latency transmission if the data packet is identified to be transmitted over the low latency transmission path from the ingress port to the destination egress port, and transmit the data packet to the destination egress port responsive to the packet queue and scheduler if the data packet is not identified to be transmitted over the low latency transmission path from the ingress port to the destination egress ports.
A switch fabric comprising:
- a packet queue and scheduler through which a plurality of ingress ports in communication with the packet queue and scheduler communicate with a plurality of egress ports in communication with the packet queue and scheduler;
- a low latency transmission path for bypassing the packet queue and scheduler;
- a collection module to collect a first portion of one or more of a plurality of data packets received at one or more of the plurality of ingress ports;
- a packet analyzer to analyze, for each data packet of the one or more of the plurality of data packets, the first portion of the data packet to identify one of the plurality of egress ports as a destination egress port of the data packet and to identify if the data packet is to be transmitted over the low latency transmission path from the ingress port to the destination egress port;
- and
- the switch fabric configured to transmit the data packet to the identified destination egress port over the low latency transmission if the data packet is identified to be transmitted over the low latency transmission path from the ingress port to the destination egress port, and to transmit the data packet to the destination egress port responsive to the packet queue and scheduler if the data packet is not identified to be transmitted over the low latency transmission path from the ingress port to the destination egress ports.
The switch fabric of either claim 22 or claim 23, wherein the switch fabric is a switch fabric of a time-sensitive network switch and wherein switch fabric is further to configure the destination egress port to be available to receive one or more data packets over the low latency transmission path during the specified time window.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.